


Take Care of Her

by CannibalKats



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 07:19:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4382468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CannibalKats/pseuds/CannibalKats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders, Hawke, and Fenris are the only members of the Kirkwall crew still on the run.  Fenris catches Anders leaving in the middle of the night and promises not to let Hawke follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care of Her

                “How far could he get?” Dahl already had her gear on; she was staring expectantly at Fenris.

                Fenris was still in the trousers he’d slept in, he poked at the fire but didn’t look at her. He glanced around suddenly missing Varric and Aveline, even Isabela would have been adequate. “We don’t have time to look.”

                “Fenris,” the blade of her staff ground into the turf at his heel.

                                _“Take care of them.”_

_The mage had spoken little since they’d fled Kirkwall. Through each of their companions turning back to the doomed city, intent on it’s defence, Anders only bowed his head. Fenris had lain on his bedroll; Hawke wrapped around him in her habit, and watched the mage gather his meagre belongings. He purposely avoided their small ration of food. It wasn’t until he was sure the mage meant to leave that Fenris had sat up._

_“Take care of them.” The almost skeletal silhouette had rasped over it’s shoulder._

_Fenris disentangled himself from the sleeping form beside him and rose, a hand out to bid Anders wait. He rummaged through the untouched food and offered a few apples, biscuits and some dried meats. Anders shook his head by way of refusal._

_“Whatever punishment you feel you deserve certainly starvation is not part of it.” The elf thrust the food into the mages arms._

_Anders took the food but handed the apples back. “She needs these more than me.”_

_Fenris raised one quizzical black eyebrow._

_“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed._

He looked at her now and wondered how he hadn’t notice before. An extra curve in her hip, the stubborn set of her jaw that he’d assumed had more to do with abandoning their home than the pale of her skin that seemed to fade by afternoon. The woman who could sleep an entire day without twitching was suddenly waking 3 times a night and sneaking off to relieve herself.

He was embarrassed the mage had noticed before he had, he wondered if she had noticed.

“Fenris!” She was almost green, trying to stand firm but leaning heavy on her staff.

                He tossed her an apple. “Eat something.”

                _“How long,” his whisper was fierce and frightened at the same time._

_“I couldn’t say. Two months at least but I had my suspicions in Kirkwall.” The thin man stowed the food in his pack. “I’m not a midwife, and I won’t pretend to be familiar with her cycles but on my life, as little as it’s worth, I’d say no more than five.”_

Each morning when they woke she began.

“He didn’t take much food.”

Fenris didn’t answer; he simply stirred the pot of porridge over the small fire.

“We haven’t gotten far, we could look. I’m sure we could find him.”

Each morning she would get fed up, stalking off under the guise of relieving her bladder only for him to have to chase her down three kilometres in the direction they’d come from. By the third day he let her go on purpose, he would bare any blame to ease her conscience.

_“Promise me you won’t let her follow me.”_

_Fenris can see the shine of tears in the mages eyes and he nods._

_“For all of your sake, if she found me I could not trust myself to leave again.”_

_Anders flinches when the elf’s hand claps him on the shoulder. For what feels like the first time he sees something like kindness in Fenris’ eyes, understanding. Hawke’s safety had always been their common ground._

_“When she realizes, she will miss you all the more, mage.”_

_Anders smiles, he raises a tentative hand to Fenris’ shoulder. “Take care of them.”_

On the seventh day she’s angry. She brings her staff down in the pot and flings it out of the small fire, throwing up coals and sparks in its wake. Fenris scatters to avoid being burnt. The firmness in her usually soft belly is evident from where he lies dazed on the hard ground.

“What if they’ve found him?” She yells. “What do you think they’ll do to him? How can you let that happen?”

He stands, hands out in surrender, he walks towards her slowly all soft noises, wordless sounds that sooth her rage. Her shoulders have slumped by the time he’s close enough to touch her and she surrenders her staff without a fight and falls into his arms.

“What if they’ve killed him?”

He holds her while she cries.

“Why won’t you look for him?”

Fenris sighs. “He made me promise.”

Her face goes slack when she realizes what this means. “Why?”

“For the safety of the child.”

Her eyebrows draw together in confusion and he watches her face as she brings herself to the same conclusion that had taken him the better part of the week to believe. “ _I’m_ pregnant?” Her voice is quiet, barely more than a whisper.

He can’t help the smile that spreads across his cheeks.

“Maker, I’m pregnant.” She says it again, louder this time but she’s not speaking to him.

Fenris watches her mouth move while she counts under her breath.

“Andraste’s flaming knickers, I thought Isabela was taking the piss but she was right.” She looks him in the eye. “Fenris she was right.”

He laughs, a rough chuckle, low in his throat as he watches a week’s worth of emotions cross her face in a matter of minutes.

“Fenris,” she says looking up at him, eyes wide. “Fenris we’re going to have a baby.”

 


End file.
